Schools Start, but Mold Got There First

By STACEY STOWE

Published: September 7, 2003

WHEN the state's school superintendents gathered for a meeting a few weeks ago in Rocky Hill, the buzz wasn't budgets or teacher training. It was mold.

''It was the main topic for discussion,'' said Ed Favolise, superintendent of schools in Ansonia. ''I've never heard anything like it in my 25 years in education. I think 50 schools have it.''

Or maybe more. In these first days back to school, districts across the state are facing mold and mildew on walls, ceilings, carpets, and desk tops. Trumbull is spending more than $370,000 to address the problem. Some schools, like in Oxford and Hamden, delayed opening school for a week or more. Others, like Greenwich, closed down the part of the building where mold cropped up and wedged students into other spaces until cleaning was complete.

''We have to tear down walls, tear up carpets and put in a tile floor, and remove ceiling tiles,'' said Benjamin Davenport, principal of Eastern Middle School in the Riverside section of Greenwich. One new wing of the school infected with mold is being closed for cleaning and reconstruction, a process that could take eight to 10 weeks, at a cost Mr. Davenport estimates to be ''well over six figures.''

Seymour will spend more than $100,000 to address its mold problem, one that was particularly acute in the two-year-old Seymour Middle School. Classes started on time, but like Greenwich, students were diverted to any available unused classroom while a moldy wing of the school was cleaned.

Prior to school opening, just one parent of an allergic student called to inquire about the specific type of mold in the Seymour school, said Thomas Petruny, the superintendent of schools. And the students?

''They're the most flexible of everybody,'' he said with a laugh. ''On opening day, they were too busy walking around talking to their friends to be bothered with it.''

Education and health officials said the wet, humid weather of the spring and summer created moisture on porous surfaces like carpeting and gypsum, a type of wallboard, lending mold a perfect environment to grow. The molds release spores that affect air quality, and can cause breathing difficulties and sneezing in people allergic to them, said Gary Ginsberg, a toxicologist with the State Department of Public Health.

Schools from Ansonia to Winchester are seeing the flowering of the gray, green or black stuff this year, from a few spots on a ceiling tile or rug to large portions of walls or ceilings.

Hamden, where seventh graders in Hamden Middle School will start one week later than their classmates because of mold in their wing of the building, is an example of just how pervasive mold can be. Last January, the school district was recognized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency for its efforts to improve indoor air quality.

Another reason for the mold and mildew is because some schools shampooed their carpets and then left the damp rugs in a largely air-tight classroom, said Thomas W. Murphy, a spokesman for the State Department of Education. Some schools mistakenly shut off their ventilation systems for the summer, another factor that yields mold and mildew.

Architects said it was critical for buildings to breathe, particularly when porous material such as wallboard, rather than tile, is used. Mold in schools across the nation is a hot topic among architects; the American Institute of Architects devoted a seminar to the problem last April.

James E. LaPosta, chief executive of Jeter, Cook, & Jepsen, an architectural firm in New Haven, said he doesn't believe there is more mold in schools than there used to be, rather the public is more aware of it.

In the 1970's, Mr. LaPosta said, the trend of school construction was toward conserving energy, therefore more interior, windowless classrooms were built. To save money, schools also began using porous, paper-based products, like drop-ceiling tiles and gypsum rather than masonry. A leaky roof, wall or window sill crack allows rain to collect. Over time, the water is absorbed into porous material and mold and mildew sprout.

But proper design can help guard against the moisture problem. Carpets that inhibit mold growth can be installed. There is also a way to build walls that allows moisture to drain out and air to circulate.

The most important safeguards, architects said, are the use of vents and air conditioning. Yet they require vigilant attention, sometimes too costly for cash-strapped school districts. Vents must be kept clean, filters changed, fans and roof inspected, drains cleaned, windows caulked, and systems turned on, even when the school is closed during vacations and summers.

''A building is no different than any other living, breathing thing,'' Mr. LaPosta said. ''It requires regular maintenance.''

In addition to mechanical ventilation, Jeter, Cook, & Jepsen always designs classrooms with windows that can be opened, for reasons both practical and psychological.

''Every teacher wants to be able to open a window,'' said Mr. LaPosta, who as a member of the American Institute of Architect's school architecture committee, tours schools across the United States.